Peach Cobbler

summer, thy name is peaches

I could eat peach something-er-others all year round, and we do because each year from the farmer's market we get 4 pecks (approximately 20 lbs) of peaches which we can, dehydrate, and freeze to enjoy later. Many, many of them are eaten as-is, you know - juice running down your arms and neck.

I made this peach crisp last night and ahem. enjoyed it until midnight. I also have quite a few gluten free friends so instead of all purpose flour I use almond flour.

Peach Cobbler

FOR THE FILLING:
5 lbs. ripe peaches, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1" pieces
1–1 1/4 cups sugar
5 tbsp. cornstarch
1 1/2 tbsp. fresh lemon or lime juice
Heaping 1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces

FOR THE TOPPING:
1/2 cup walnut bits
1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 tbsp chilled butter, cut into bits
1 cup rolled oats

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine peaches, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl and set aside.

In another bowl combine the remaining ingredients and toss until well blended. Then sprinkle over peach mixture.

Bake uncovered in the oven for 30 minutes.

Enjoy warm, with ice cream, or umm for breakfast if you're fancy.

Peanut butter chocolate chip pie

This recipe and photograph is taken directly from Baked Bree


There is kind of an unspoken rule amongst my friends that I am expected to bring a dessert to cookouts or potlucks. It just wouldn't be an afternoon at my house without sharing pie or cookies (or both, whatever) over a cup of tea. This is my favorite all-season pie recipe.

For the crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup sugar
6 Tablespoons melted butter

Mix together and press into a pie pan. Bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes. Let cool and start on the filling.

For the filling:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup peanut butter (I use smooth)
4 oz. cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips

Whip the heavy cream and set aside. Cream together the peanut butter, cream cheese and sugar. Add the vanilla. Fold the whip cream mixture into the peanut butter mixture. Add the chips. Pour into cooled crust. Chill before serving. Enjoy!

Almond Chicken Salad

Once I went to a bridal shower for a friend and they served chicken salad sandwiches on luscious, buttery croissants and I may or may not have asked if I could take some home. And I may or may not have gone home with a half dozen in my purse.

TRUE STORY

Can I blame it on the fact that I was pregnant? Because I was and I am going to.

The point is that I love chicken salad. I've never had one I didn't like! There are endless things to love and endless ways to tailor the recipe to your personal tastes. My husband hates nuts of all kinds (well except peanuts but what kind of loon would want peanuts in their chicken salad?) My kids and I love them all so I made two batches of this to suit everyone. I added grapes but you could easily sub a Granny Smith apple or if you want to get REALLY wild, some dried cherries. BONKERS I KNOW but it's fab. Also, pecans instead of almonds would be delicious too.


Almond Chicken Salad

1 cup almonds, salted and roasted
2 whole boneless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 cup of seedless grapes, halved
2 stalks celery, diced
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup red onion, minced
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 – 3/4 cup mayo
Salt
Black pepper

If you want to make your own mayo (I admire you but yeah, I am not that person):
Blend eggs, yolk, salt, pepper, mustard, and lemon juice in a blender. Stream in the oils and blend on high until thickened. Extra mayo can be stored in a jar in the fridge for a couple of weeks.

In a large bowl, stir together the chicken, grapes, celery, onions, and parsley, and just enough mayo to bind the chicken salad. Salt and pepper to taste. If serving, add the almonds. If making ahead of time, wait to add the almonds until just before assembling the sandwiches.

Makes 4 delicious sammiches

Teriyaki Noodles with Asparagus and Snap Peas

Makes: 4 servings

Time: 30 minutes

Just by adding a little extra liquid, you can turn virtually any stir-fry into an excellent sauce for tossing with noodles, rice, or other grains. Asparagus is particularly nice here because it browns beautifully, but you can use green beans or sliced broccoli as alternatives. (I peel thick asparagus, which isn’t strictly necessary, but it only takes a minute and makes it much less fibrous. Or skip the whole thing and use broccoli florets.) For a spicier sauce, add a couple dried red chiles to the skillet along with the garlic and ginger.

1 1⁄2 pounds asparagus, peeled if thick, cut into 2-inch lengths
Salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1⁄2 cup chopped scallions
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
8 ounces of noodles such as rice, buckwheat (soba), or wheat noodles. I used these
1 -2 cups of fresh or frozen snap peas
1⁄4 cup soy sauce
1⁄4 cup mirin, or 2 tablespoons honey mixed with 2 tablespoons water

1. If the asparagus is thick, parboil it, then shock it in a bowl of ice water and drain. If the spears are thin, don’t bother.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Put a large skillet over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the oil, wait a few seconds, and add the asparagus and scallions. Cook, stirring, for a minute, then stir in the ginger and garlic. Cook until the asparagus is dry, hot, and beginning to brown and get tender, 5 to 10 minutes; remove the pan from the heat.

3. Cook the noodles in the boiling water until tender but not mushy. Check them frequently: The time will vary from a minute or 2 for thin rice noodles, to 5 minutes for soba, or up to 12 minutes for wide brown rice noodles. Drain the noodles, reserving some of the cooking liquid.

4. Turn the heat under the asparagus to medium. Add the noodles, snap peas , soy sauce, mirin, and about 1⁄2 cup of the reserved water to the skillet; continue to cook, stirring, until the asparagus and snap peas are heated through, about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Divide the noodles among 4 bowls, spooning any extra broth in the pan over all. Serve hot.

Variations:
You could easily add chicken or swap the vegetables for other types. The original recipe called for edamame instead of snap peas. Just use what you have on hand!

Adapted from Mark Bittman's recipe

Breakfast Bars

This is an incredibly delicious, healthy, but most of all easy recipe that I use all the time. It is adaptable to an endless combination of flavors too! I throw in whatever I happen to have on hand. The main component is the honey-peanut butter to bind it together and a cereal as a base so don't stress if you don't have anything else lying around. I've had great success with puffed grains as a base but I've also used Life and Cheerio type cereals too.


Breakfast Bars

1/2 cup honey
1 cup peanut butter
1-2 cups cereal
2 tbsp flax seeds
2 tbsp wheat germ
Optional additions: nuts, dried fruit, coconut, chocolate chips


In a small sauce pan melt together the honey and peanut butter until smooth. Combine all other ingredients in a large bowl and toss until well combined. Pour peanut butter mixture over and stir until everything is well coated. Press into an 8x11 inch pan and cool completely before cutting.

Sweet Potato Fries

I am rather nutty about recreating my favorite foods from restaurants in my own kitchen. One of my favorite local places is a restaurant downtown called Tip Top. Not only are they bike friendly but they make a mean sweet potato fry. After trying out a few different recipes here is my favorite recreation of those delectable fries (straight from Martha). Oh, and these are unexpectedly healthy!


Sweet Potato Fries

1 large sweet potatoes (about a pound), skins on, scrubbed and cut into 4-inch sticks, each 1/2 inch thick
2 egg whites
spices of your choosing (I prefer salt, pepper, thyme, oregano, garlic powder & paprika)


Start by preheating your oven to 450 degrees.

While that is warming up start cutting your sweet potato. The skin has almost 3 times the antioxidants than the potato flesh itself so keep those babies on! Typically, sweet potatoes (aka yams) are more dense than it's more common relative so to speed up the cooking process, place them in a microwave safe dish and cover them, cooking them on high for 2 minutes in the microwave. Let them rest for 5 minutes.

While they are resting, beat the egg whites until they are frothy then add the spices. Working in batches toss the fries in the egg mixture, letting all of the excess fall back into the bowl. Place them in a single layer on a baking sheet and put them in the oven. Bake 10 minutes then flip with a spatula, returning them to the oven to bake for 15 more minutes or until golden brown.

Orange Chicken with Couscous

I havn't put up a new recipe for ages. Forgive me.


Couscous is basically tiny pasta, popular in north African cuisine. If you don't have it you can easily sub brown rice, just make sure you cook it before adding it to the broth.

Orange Chicken with Couscous

Marinade for chicken:
1/2 cup 100% orange juice
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 cloves garlic
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes

Couscous:
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup 100% orange juice
1 scallion or 1/4 cup onion
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup uncooked couscous
1/4 cup golden or dark raisins (optional)


In a large bowl, combine the OJ, honey, soy sauce, and garlic. Put this into a bag and marinade the chicken in it for 20-30 minutes at room temp or up to 2 hours in the fridge. You will be adding this chicken to skewers so if you are using wooden ones, now is a good time to start soaking them in water.

Prepare the couscous in a medium bowl by adding the broth, OJ, scallion, oil, and salt together in a medium saucepan. Bring this to a boil and stir in the couscous and optional raisins. Cover the pan, remove it from the heat, and set it aside for 5 minutes. Fluff it with a fork and you are done.

Meanwhile, preheat the broiler. Thread the chicken onto the skewers. You will broil these for 2 minutes, then baste it with the remaining marinade. Broil 2 minutes longer or until the chicken is fully cooked. For a thicker baste, after removing the chicken from the bag bring the marinade to a boil and reduce it to your desired consistency.

Spoon the couscous onto a plate and top with the chicken after removing it from the skewers.